By Henry Akubuiro
Not too long from now, a picturesque hospitality edifice at Oyedele Ogunniyi Street, in the mid brow Anthony Village, Ikeja, Lagos, will get an iconic makeover. Its diorama hints of a potential habitué for music aficionados, the first ever music museum in Nigeria and where researchers, tourists, music lovers would converge to make merry and swell the frontiers of knowledge. It promises to be an entertainment pagoda.
A visit to the recently acquired property by Daily Sun showed workers on site, neck-deep in reconstruction. A brainchild of Evergreen Music Company, run by the gorgeous Bimbo Esho, daughter of the founder and chairman, Femi Esho, a legendary music impresario, the project, on completion, would be the first of its kind. Bimbo Esho describes it as a monumental and unprecedented project “poised to revolutionise the musical landscape of Africa.” She is optimistic that “this groundbreaking initiative will not only captivate the nation but also make waves across the entire African continent.”
Dr. D.K. Olukoya is better known as a preacher and prophet, but he has a good ear for music. He functions here as a patron, teaming up with Chief Femi Esho to make this dream come through and create a new chapter in the Nigerian creative industry. The museum, which will be completed before the end of the year, is envisaged to be the “biggest music empire ever seen in Africa”, says Bimbo. It will consist of a music museum, music library, gallery showcasing Head Burst of Artistes and display of over 1,000 pictures of Nigerian musicians from 1914 and relics of their costumes/old musical instruments.
At the moment, engineers are breaking walls to carve out an event centre for music concerts, cinema theatre, recording studio, and so much more. “It is a one stop shop for all music lovers all over the world as it will become a big tourist attraction center for all enthusiasts of Nigerian music,” says Bimbo. Don’t forget the name: Evergreen Music Heritage Centre.
If you are wondering about Dr. Olukoya’s involvement in the project, Bimbo explains: “Anyone who knows Dr. Olukoya closely will tell you that, after his unbridled love for God, comes his intense love for music. He himself is a music aficionado. He loves music and he is knowledgeable about many genres of music, ranging from highlife to juju, folklore, traditional music, reggae, country music, gospel, etcetera.
“And his rich knowledge of music reflects undeniably in the music ministry of his church, MFM. In fact, many do not know he was a music teacher. He still teaches music. This is why it is commonplace to see the MFM choir sing and perform brilliantly during church programmes some of Nigeria’s most enduring highlife and folklore compositions.”
The idea, she explains, was to bring back the morals in these classics and instill them in the minds of everyone listening to them. “Little wonder why the MFM choir is widely regarded as one of the best in the world, having won several international choir competitions in Europe and other parts of the world,” she says.
Unsurprisingly, both Olukoya and Femi Esho share a strong passion for quality music.
Bimbo Esho, the Executive Secretary of the foundation, says Dr. Olukoya’s financial and moral contribution to the realisation of the project has been invaluable, “It is to his credit that the foundation had been able to make huge progress so far.”
It’s a multi million naira project, and the foundation is keeping an open door to financial support from well meaning Nigerians and music enthusiasts to speed up work. “It will be your contribution to a legacy that will sustain for generations to come all of the enduring morals and intrinsic values that our music of yesteryears taught us, all of which is lacking today,” says Bimbo Esho.
“The project is a massive one,” Bimbo Esho adds. “It is a historic landmark project that will stand the test of time and outlive all of us. Dr. Olukoya has been more than supportive to our cause. He has been magnanimous and we remain eternally grateful to him for his love and support for this dream. But there’s still plenty of work to be done.”
Soon, the Evergreen Music Foundation will invite the old and young to enjoy quality music and research into the past musical history of some of Nigeria’s most accomplished musicians of the 1950s, the 60s down to the 90s,” she says. An el dorado of music, that is.